Measure for Measure

by William Shakespeare

"Measure for Measure" by William Shakespeare is a play written in 1603 or 1604. When Vienna's Duke disguises himself as a friar to observe his city, he leaves the puritanical Angelo in charge. Angelo enforces forgotten laws with brutal severity, sentencing young Claudio to death for fornication. When Claudio's sister Isabella, a novice nun, pleads for mercy, Angelo makes a shocking proposition that tests her virtue and principles. Blending comedy with darker themes of justice, corruption, and morality, this ambiguous work defies easy classification.